


Does Happily Ever After Really Exist?

by ConfusedSpaceKid



Series: Voltron Family and time-travel shenanigans [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (At least they let Shiro rest though), Adam Lives, Child OCs, Everyone lives, I Tried, I saw the first episode of season seven and now I ship Hunk and Romelle, Keith gets thrown into the future, Lance is a loving husband, Light Angst, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Only taking through the first episode of season seven into account, Shiro and Adam have gotten back together, They all deserved better, Time Shenanigans, Time Travel, but they are babies/ toddlers, fuck dreamworks, maybe OOC a little bit, so they are a thing, sorry curtis, takes place on the yet to be built new Castle of Lions, will update tags as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-06-14 22:24:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15398838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConfusedSpaceKid/pseuds/ConfusedSpaceKid
Summary: When Keith woke up he immediately knew something wasn't right. He had felt off and anxious all day yesterday, but now he felt honestly amazing. He was cocooned in what felt like at least 5 pounds of soft warm blankets, there was soft music playing he could just barely make out through the fabric around his head, and the scent of coffee hung in the air. The bed he was laying was soft and cozy and big. This was probably the best way he had woken up in his life, and it was deeply, deeply wrong.





	1. Exposition!

When Keith woke up he immediately knew something wasn’t right. He had felt off and anxious all day yesterday, but now he felt honestly amazing. He was cocooned in what felt like at least 5 pounds of soft warm blankets, there was soft music playing he could just barely make out through the fabric around his head, and the scent of coffee hung in the air. The bed he was laying was soft and cozy and big. This was probably the best way he had woken up in his life, and it was deeply, deeply wrong.

He slowly untangled himself from the blankets and looked around the room. It looked like it could still be on the Castle of Lions, the doors and wall paneling being the same as it was in his room, but the space was much larger. The bed was roughly king sized and had about 4 different worn, handmade looking quilts on it, or at least it did on the side Keith was on, the other side looking bare, but oddly used. That gave him pause, but he continued scanning the room. On his side of the bed was a small table with his knife, a cup of coffee (which had obviously been sitting there for a while as it only felt slightly above room temperature when he inspected it), some sort of pastry (which seemed similar enough to a croissant despite its slightly blue color) and a note on it.

_Hey Babe, I know you haven’t been feeling well, so I let you sleep in. I brought you some breakfast in case you woke up before lunch, but you really seemed off, so who knows. I hope you do though, the pastries Hunk made are amazing, probably his best work yet. Anyway, don’t worry about sleeping in, we don’t have anything going on today and I took care of Alex, so you have nothing to worry about. I’m gonna be hanging out with Hunk (and Alex, of course) in the kitchen if you need me. Rest up and don’t push yourself to hard. I’ll check back in at lunch. I love you! -XOXO_

What the hell? That only raised more questions! Who the fuck was calling him ‘Babe’? Who the hell is Alex? What the fuck was going on?! ‘Slow down. Deep breath. Patience yields focus’. He scanned the room more carefully. This room looked very lived in. String lights were strung up over the bed on the ceiling. A large rug with an alien pattern in earthy tones was strewn on the floor in front of the door. Various small polaroid like photos were tapped to the wall facing the bed. From where Keith sat they seemed to be mostly of various alien people and landscapes with a few of the paladins. The closet seemed to be over full, as even though it was closed there was a bit blue fabric sticking out between the wall panels, revealing its location on the wall. Finally he inspected the other bedside table. On it was an empty glass, a sleeping mask, and three framed photos, two obstructing the view of the third.

One was of Keith. In it he seems to be at on a beach on Earth. Photo Keith smiles fondly at the camera, sitting on a beach towel with an orange and pink sunset in the background. The him in the photo looked exactly like Keith did, burn scar and all. Which was strange because that photo never happened. He began to wonder if he managed to stumble himself into another alternate reality somehow.

The second photo was of a baby in a onesie that had been made to look like purple paladin armour being held up by what appeared to be Keith’s arms, judging by the fingerless gloves. The baby in the photo was very young, probably less than a year old. They had a head full of thick black hair, naturally tan skin, violet eyes, and a wide, contagious smile. Someone had written on the bottom half of the photo _“Future Paladin, just like his dads!”_ Keith felt his stomach flip. This must be Alex. Alex was, apparently, probably, his son. What sort of bizzaro world is this? He’s barely 20 for fucks sake! He’s in the middle of a war! He can’t have a kid!Where did the kid even come from? Did he and his ( _husband? boyfriend?_ ) partner get a surrogate? Adopt? How? Who the shit is the other dad?!

The third picture seemed to answer that last question. It was what appeared to be a professionally done photo of himself holding and smiling fondly at a newborn baby Alex with none other than Lance resting his head on Keith’s shoulder, arms wrapped around his waist, smiling lovingly down at the small infant in Keith’s arms. Keith was now certain this was an alternate reality. For one, the Keith in the first photo might have looked the same as he did, but this one looked slightly older, his hair was long and even, same length all the way around, and his face had a softness to it that the real Keith didn’t have. Secondly, Lance was straight. Not only that, but he was just beginning to view Keith as a friend, let alone a lover or someone to have a kid with. Sure, Keith might have feelings for Lance, how could he not have fallen for the the obnoxious and obnoxiously handsome boy. He was carefree, kind, and passionate. Fiercely loyal, funny, and serious when he needed to be. He’s even a skilled fighter and pilot, two things that were always turn-ons for Keith. Sure, the thought of a family with Lance, years from now, has crossed his mind before (not that he’d ever admit it). But none of that doesn’t change the fact that Lance had exactly no interest in him, not only because Lance was straight, but because he’d just started to see him as a friend. Lance isn’t interested on any level, and Keith had accepted that. He’s known it since he so strongly denied their bonding moment after Sendak’s attack on the Castle.

He put the photo back. He needed to get back to his own reality as soon as possible. The next best course of action, he decided, was finding Pidge and asking for her help, while avoiding Lance at all costs. He finally stood from the bed, stretched, and found that he was wearing red pajamas instead of his street clothes, which is what he usually wore to bed.

Changing as quickly as he could (how could this reality’s Lance and Keith find anything in a closet this full of stuff he had no idea, who even needs this many outfits?) he walked out of the bedroom and realized finding Pidge was going to be a much more difficult task than he originally thought. The hallway he found himself in was completely unfamiliar. He noticed there seemed to be a dropped doll of some sort down the hall to his left and decided to go down that path. He and Lance must not be the only ones with a kid in this reality, as he was able to use the strategy of following discarded toys until he found himself in a familiar part of the castle. Thankfully he made it to Pidge’s lab/ Green’s hangar without incident.

Keith froze just outside the door, however, when he heard her talking to someone. A lot of it was technical jargon he didn’t understand at all, but he could make out that she seemed to be walking someone through whatever she was doing. He waited and listened, but couldn’t hear who she was talking to. Eventually he came to the conclusion that it was probably just one of their allies who needed help with something. Taking a deep breath and hoping Pidge wouldn’t react too badly, he walked in.

He was wrong. Pidge was not alone and this reality was even weirder than he thought. Pidge was sat at her desk with a small Galran child dressed in overalls, a white t-shirt, and sneakers sat next to her. They seemed like they were probably 4 or 5 years old, but who knew how Galra aged? The child was one of the furry Galras and their ears were comically large on their head. Their fur had an almost splotchy pattern to it on their arm and legs. That was another thing. The child only had one arm. A small, very small robotic prosthetic arm sat on the table hooked up to the computer Pidge was typing away furiously at while explaining all she was doing to the tiny Galra, who listened with rapt attention. Neither of them seemed to notice that he walked in.

“Uh, Pidge?” He called when there was a lull in her furious explanation.

“Oh! Keith, goo-” She trailed off as she actually turned to look at him. The child tugged at her sleeve and made a series of gestures. “Yeah, Mizuki, Uncle Keith sure does look funny, huh,” she said going back to stare at him.

As much as the he understood that he was the odd one out in this situation, he couldn’t help but feel a little defensive, “You’re one to talk!” he replied indignantly, crossing his arms. Besides, this Pidge looked completely different than his realities Pidge. This one was slightly taller, probably coming up to his chin, had long hair she pulled up into a high ponytail, didn’t wear glasses, and had a more mature face. Also this Pidge was wearing a long tunic-like top in a pale mint green over leggings, which is by far the most feminine thing Keith had ever seen her wear.

“No Keith, no I’m not. Why do you look like you’re 20 again” She questioned, seeming more tired than surprised at the situation.

“Because I am 20,” Keith replied like it should be obvious. Honestly he was kind of expecting her to take one look at him and ask him how he got to her reality. “Look I’m pretty sure I somehow ended up in a different reality, I need your help getting back” He explained.

“Keith, no, this isn’t... that isn’t…” She sighed deeply, and turned to the child, Mizuki, “Hey, big girl, how about you go bug your Uncle Hunk. I think he’s in the kitchen cooking so you might be able to sneak a few bites. Aunt Pidge and Uncle Keith have gotta talk this through ok? I promise I’ll get back on your arm asap,” She said more brightly. Mizuki smiled and nodded, hopped off the chair she was sitting on with some slight help from Pidge and ran off.

“Keith I hope you remember how difficult and dangerous it is to reach another reality” She deadpanned when the little girl was out of sight.

“I mean, yeah, but how else do you explain what’s going on? I woke up in a different bedroom, one that supposedly I share with Lance, who apparently brought me breakfast and left me a really sweet note, who in this reality I have a KID WITH. You look different, there is a toddler Galra who we are apparently the aunt and uncle of, from what I’ve seen of you and the photos in the bedroom, everyone looks older. This is clearly not where I’m supposed to be,” He spat angrily. Honestly, this whole situation was a little bit too much for him. He never liked change much, regardless of how much of it he went through as a kid growing up in the foster system, so suddenly waking up in a new environment, especially one that seemed a little too idyllic was incredibly stressful for him. And stress caused him to snap.

“Calm down, I’m not arguing that, its just that this literally can not be an alternate reality,” She responded, typing away on her laptop.

“Well then, how do you explain it,” he glared.

She sighed, studying the whatever was on her screen “Well… I’m looking into that. The ship did pick up on some sort of anomaly around the time you, or well, our you started feeling sick. I did figure there was some sort of connection, but I don’t know why you were the only one affected. The only problem is that I have no idea what the anomaly was. All of the ships reading became skewed, but in really subtle ways. The only reason I even picked up on it was because it so widespread and all happened at the exact same time. I’m going to see if this has ever happened before, though I’d think I’d remember it, and see if I can’t actually isolate the anomaly. I might need Hunk’s help on this, but I’ll see what I can do,” She replied.

“You’ll see what you can do!? I need to get back! Don’t you need your version of me? I mean for fucks sake he has a kid to look after! We need to fix this now!” Keith snapped now, panic beginning to rise. How long was he going to be stuck here? What if he was here forever? If Pidge couldn’t fix this, who could?

Pidge did not look impressed. “I know you need to get back, and believe me, I’d much rather be dealing with our Keith, but in order to send you back I need to understand how you got here and where you came from. I can’t just snap my fingers and fix this mess. I’m a scientist, not a magician,” She snapped back.

“Well, what am I supposed to do in the meantime,” Keith asked frustration and anxiety dripping from his tone.

“Finally, you ask a good question. I’ll go tell the others about your situation, though I have no idea how to explain ‘Your Uncle is suddenly much younger again and has no idea who you are’ to a 3 year old and a 5 year old. I don’t think you can explain ‘Daddy doesn’t know who you are and probably won’t want to interact with you’ to a one year old. Jus-” She was basically just thinking aloud, but the last bit got to Keith. Keith had a really shitty childhood after he lost his dad. He always swore that if he had kids, that he would make damn sure they had the best lives he could offer them. The thought of upsetting or neglecting his child, even if it was one he didn’t think he had, or one that was the technically the kid of another version of him, tore him up inside.

“Who said I wouldn’t want to see my kid?” He snapped with way more aggression than he intended.

“Calm down Mama Bear, I just assumed it might be a bit much for you. Besides, you still aren’t his dad, I mean you are, but just not the right version, and Lance might take issue with the someone who isn’t the right version of his husband holding his only child. He can be a bit overprotective at times. Not as badly as you, but still. My point was just that this might be a bit… confusing or stressful for the kids. Thank god, Alex is still so young, he might be upset, but as long as we can fix this relatively quickly there shouldn’t be any psychological scarring” Keith felt guilt well up inside, he felt bad for upsetting the kids in his other version’s life, especially Alex. “Just wait here, I’ll come get you once everyone is up to speed,” She began to stand from her seat.

“Wait, shouldn’t you tell me what to expect before I have to actually interact with everyone” He asked. He was anxious enough just by being here, he’d feel better knowing what to expect.

“Right. Because I’m not entirely sure whats going on, I’m going to keep this to the bare necessities, ok? We might as well start with the new additions, since you’ve already met Mizuki. She’s the oldest of the kids at 5, and she’s Shiro’s daughter. We rescued her from a Druid’s lab when she was an infant. We aren’t entirely sure what they were doing to her, but whatever it was, it left her with quite a few medical issues, most notably a missing arm and completely shot vocal cords. She’s mute, but very outgoing and sweet. She might get a little frustrated with you because you don’t know sign language, but just ask literally anyone else on the ship to interpret for you and you’ll be fine.” Pidge fired off information at lightspeed while Keith stood there trying his damnedest to soak up as much of this information as he could. He had a feeling Pidge forgot not everyone could process information like she could.

“Then there’s Fala, Allura’s daughter. She’s 3 and ridiculously cute. She’ll also ask you questions until your ear falls off and won’t let you get away with answers like ‘because’. If she starts with the endless questions, which she most likely will because you look different, just try to distract her, it's the easiest way to get her to stop. After that is Alex.” Keith dedicated every fiber of his being to retaining the information Pidge was about to give him.

“His full name is Alejandro Akio Kogane-McClain, he’s one. His birthday is March 27. I’m not going to go into detail because it would take all day but he is biologically your and Lance’s kid,” She must have sensed that Keith was about to ask how that was possible, because she gave him a very pointed look that practically screamed ‘what did I just say’ “You’re Dada or Daddy, and Lance is Papi. He’ll probably want you to hold him since you are almost always carrying him. I seriously don’t think you put him down once during his first 6 months. Anyway, he is a very calm, serious baby, which everyone is sure he got from you. He really likes to pull hair so be careful, since I don’t think you have the same tolerance our you does.”

She chuckled, “He adores you and Lance and I’ve never seen either of you look happier than when the three of you are together. So don’t fuck anything up.” Keith absolutely did not shed a single tear after hearing that. He certainly did not feel like screaming because the universe decided to taunt him with this perfect life he could never have. Maybe this was some sort of Marmora trial. Part of him thought that it was, it meant that after this was over he could just go back to life as normal. Part of him believed that this was real and feared for and was intensely jealous of whatever version of himself he was replacing. Pidge just sort of gave him a sympathetic look and continued. He was grateful she didn’t mention how distraught he must look despite his best efforts.

“Lastly for the kids is little baby Samantha. She’s about 4 months younger than Alex and those two are practically inseparable, partly because of how close they are in age, partly because she’s Hunk’s kid. Lance was setting up playdates from the second he found out Romelle, who’s married to Hunk by the way, was pregnant. She’s ridiculously cute, if a bit fussy. Oh, and you and Lance are her favorite people besides her parents.” Keith’s head was already reeling and he knew she wasn’t done.

“As for new adults, well, Adam, but you already know him. He and Shiro are married now. I’m judging by your mark that you’ve already reunited with Krolia,” Keith nodded. “Well, she’s around a lot. All of the kids call her Grandma Krolia. She helped Shiro and Adam with Mizuki, because taking care of a baby Galra is very different from taking care of a baby human, and sort of ended up adopting the whole team along the way. She and Coran are sort of the go-to babysitters. The war is pretty much over, we’re just tying up loose ends and keeping the peace at this point. Chances are we won’t need Voltron the entire time you’re here, and even if we do, we’ll just put Shiro on duty again, so just don’t work yourself up over that. I know you probably have questions, but I told you all I really feel comfortable telling you,” She stood and started walking towards the door, “You just stay here and try to process all I just told you. I’m going to round everyone up and explain what the hell is going on,” And with that she left a very overwhelmed Keith alone to try and sort out all of this new information.


	2. Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is stressed, Shiro's supportive, Pidge is trying, and Keith doesn't want to be here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so very much for all the positive feedback and I love to hear your speculations on the story! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

He could hear them before he saw them, their argument announcing their approach long before they arrived in Pidge’s lab.

“GOD DAMNIT LANCE, FOR THE LAST TIME I THINK THIS IS A REALLY BAD IDEA!!!” Pidge shouted in frustration.

“I HAVE A FUCKING RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON! WE’RE MARRIED!” Lance retorted, the panic and frustration clear in his voice. It was really unnerving and strangely thrilling to know Lance was referring to _him_. That he was worried about _him_. Well, not him, another version of him, he reminded himself. He couldn’t let himself enjoy any part of this.

“LANCE I ALREADY TOLD YOU WHAT’S GOING ON! BESIDES YOU’D SEE HIM LIKE THREE MINUTES FROM NOW AT LUNCH! THE POOR GUY IS STILL TRYING TO PROCESS WHAT’S GOING ON! SPRINGING A ONE ON ONE CONVERSATION WITH HIM, _ESPECIALLY_ WHEN IT'S YOU, ESPECIALLY _BECAUSE_ YOU’RE MARRIED, JUST SEEMS CRUEL!” Pidge tried desperately to reason.

“HOW THE HELL IS CHECKING IN ON MY _HUSBAND_ , THE _FATHER OF MY CHILD_ , CRUEL?!” Lance asked just as desperately. Keith began to feel guilty for impeding on this other versions life again.

“BECAUSE HE ISN’T ANY OF THOSE THINGS YET AND YOU EXPECT HIM TO BE! THIS IS ONLY GOING TO END WITH BOTH OF YOU MORE UPSET THAN WHEN YOU STARTED!” Her voice warbled with frustration.

They must have been right outside the door because Keith could still hear what Lance said despite the fact he was no longer yelling. “I-I just can’t accept that. I can’t just accept that the man I love is suddenly a kid again and has no memory of our entire relationship. Has no memory of _our son_. Of _anything_ we’ve made for ourselves over the years. How can you expect me to accept that. I know you wouldn’t lie or anything, just… just let me have this closure. Please. I need to see this with my own eyes, ok?” Lance’s voice sounded so utterly devastated and desperate it made Keith’s chest ache and he could only imagine how distraught he must look.

There was a long silence before he heard Pidge sigh and say in the most gentle voice he had ever heard her use “I have no idea how you must feel right now, but I _promise_ you I will fix this. We’ll get ou- _your_ Keith back in no time. And in the meantime, you know everyone is here for you and Alex. I know I’m not the best at...emotions in general, but I’m here if you need me”.

“Thanks, Pidge,” Lance replied so quietly Keith could barely hear it. There was another long pause and then the door opened.

Keith and Lance just sort of stared at each other when they caught sight of one another. This version of Lance was also certainly older, but time (however much separated his version and this version) had been very kind to him. His muscles were more defined and his already dorito-like proportions more pronounced. This more mature version of his face, complete with stubble, was still incredibly handsome even with the addition of a few small scars on the left side of his face. It really was a talent to still look attractive after clearly crying and not getting enough sleep in, based off of Alex’s age, at least a year. Keith also noted that he was not wearing his usual outfit, or at least the usual outfit for _his_ Lance. He was wearing a simple, loose, dark blue t-shirt and black sweatpants. He looked good and way more casual than Keith had ever seen. Nonetheless, despite however good looking Lance was, his expression of utter disbelief was more than enough to have Keith looking away awkwardly. Eventually, it was Lance who broke the silence.

“Keith,” Lance breathed out barely audible. Keith had no clue how to respond to that. Seriously what could he say to him, ‘Hi, sorry I’m not your husband but believe me I have no interest in staying’? Lance continued to stare for a few more long moments before continuing, louder, “What the actual hell.”

“Look, I really wish I could answer that, but I’m just as confused as you are,” Keith offered.

Lance stared for a few more seconds before chuckling in a humorless, disbelieving manner, shaking his head a little bit. “You and your damn mullet. That damn fucking mullet,” Lance muttered.

“Could you lay off my hair for once? Is that seriously your concern right now?” Keith snapped, perhaps more harshly than he should have, but it’s been a long morning.

Lance let out a bark of laughter, “You really are a fucking kid. What the hell. Just what the actual quiznacking hell? What the fuck am I supposed to do? How long will this last?! Pidge?” He asked desperately, panic tinting his tone again.

“Like I said before, I don’t know how long it will last, but not forever. In the meantime, we’re just going to have to make due, ok?” Pidge said calmly

“Make due? What about Alex! He adores his daddy! How am I supposed to explain to him that even though there’s this guy walking around with daddy’s face he’s not really here! I mean, he was fussy enough this morning because I came to wake him up alone because I thought Keith was _sick_ , not a fucking kid! Seriously, he cried for a solid hour because he wanted Keith! What the hell am I supposed to do about that!? I CAN’T TELL A BABY TO MAKE DUE, PIDGE!” Lance was officially panicking again and Keith felt like an awful person even though he hadn’t actually done anything.

“Well,” Pidge said slowly, “this Keith said he’d be willing to help out,” Pidge said every word very carefully. Keith felt betrayed.

“Only if you’re ok with it,” Keith immediately added uncrossing his arms and displaying his palms in a sign of peace. Lance looked him up and down suspiciously, his expression going from panicked and desperate to cold and closed off.

“I’m not so sure.You aren’t his dad, it feels wrong to have some imposter take care of him as if you were,” he said just as slowly, but there was a venom in his tone. Keith couldn’t blame him, but it still stung.

Pidge walked over to Lance and tugged him down by the shirt so she could whisper in his ear. Whatever it was she said made his expression soften back into a saddened one. “Look, I’m sorry, this is just...really hard. I’m sure it is for you too. I-I’m not mad at you for being here, it's not your fault. I’m just worried. I shouldn’t have been so hostile. I know you’re just trying to help. I get it, better than you think I do,” Lance apologized earnestly. Keith was stunned, as far as he was concerned Lance had nothing to apologize for.

“Really it's ok, you don’t have to apologize, I’d do the same thing,”Keith replied. It was true. Hell, he could see himself doing worse if he was in Lance’s position.

Lance chuckled, “I know you would, but you should know by now that I’m the bigger man,” he gave a weak version of his trademark smug grin. Well, at least he was feeling a little bit better if he was at least trying to tease Keith.

“So, if you two are all good, can we head to lunch? I’m starving,” Pidge suggested.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Lance sighed, then looked over to Keith.

“Oh, yeah...I’m good,” he added awkwardly. He suddenly realized what going to lunch meant, it meant having to deal with the rest of the team and their kids...and his, er, _the other version of him_ and Lance’s kid. He started to feel sick. What the hell was that going to be like? The trio made their way to the dining room in awkward, uncomfortable silence. As they drew near he could hear a cacophony of conversation, plates being moved, high pitched childish laughter, and a baby yelling. Keith gulped. When Pidge opened the door to go in, he could see that lunch hadn’t actually started yet, causing everyone to busy themselves and the children. Hunk was busy setting the table and bringing out the food while Mizuki helped by placing silverware at everyone’s seats. Allura and Coran, who looked the same, except Allura had cut her hair into a bob, were sitting at one end of the table discussing something, Allura holding a baby that must have been Alex. Shiro and Adam were talking quietly at the table near Romelle who was cooing at a very young baby who seemed to want to practice her vocalizations. Lance walked in and immediately bee-lined for Allura and Alex. He looked older than he did in the photos, but still so very young and small. His face split into an adorable little grin when he caught sight of Lance.

“Papi! Papi Papi Papi!” The small boy chanted, making grabby hands towards Lance. He scooped Alex up and hugged him tightly. You’d think they had seen eachother in days.

“Hey Munchkin, you miss me?” Lance asked his son who giggled happily in response.

“No fair, I wanted to hold him,” whined a little girl Keith only then noticed who was now standing directly in front of Lance.

He knew that that had to Fala, but it wasn’t immediately clear that she was Allura’s daughter. Clearly her father was another alien, and Keith wasn’t sure what kind. The little girl had a tail that reminded Keith a bit of Antok’s (which had a bow wrapped around it), claws (which were painted in flaking pink polish), and three ghostly pale blue eyes. Her skin was her mother’s warm brown, but littered with a swirling purple striped pattern, save for her cheeks which sported the traditional Altean markings in the same shade. She had Allura’s curly white hair which was currently swept up in an elaborate braid. Fala was also strangely tall and lanky for a three year old. Despite her strange, particularly alien appearance, she _was_ cute.

“Sorry, Princess, its my turn now,” Lance replied, smiling warmly down at the little girl as he adjusted his grip on Alex, “maybe you can hold him after lunch if he’s still in a good mood”. Lance seemed a lot better now that he was dealing with a familiar situation.

His focus on Lance and his interactions with this odd, fuller version of his Space Family was broken by a familiar voice calling his name. Adam. He and Shiro were both gesturing for him to come sit down with them.

Both of them looked good in this...whatever this was. Older, like everyone else, but that was hardly a bad thing. This Shiro looked a lot more relaxed and happy. His hair was a little bit longer, though his bangs remained pretty much untouched. He wore a white tee-shirt, a black hoodie, and a golden wedding band which matched Adam’s exactly. Not much had changed about Adam since the last time he had seen him except for new glasses, a few fine lines in his face and a few stray grey hairs.

It was...strange seeing Adam again. For a while when he and Shiro were dating the first time the three of them were almost like a family. Hell, they _were_ a family. Lord knows how Adam would make jokes about him being Adam and Shiro’s kid (being the only person allowed to do so). However, after Adam dumped Shiro for wanting to go on the Kerberos mission, Keith couldn’t help but kinda hate the guy for breaking his brother’s heart. That resentment only grew after Shiro was pronounced dead. He thought if he ever saw him again he would want to punch him in the face, but instead seeing him with Shiro, knowing they’re married and have a daughter...he doesn’t feel any of that resentment anymore. Maybe it’s because of how calm and happy Shiro looks, or maybe it’s because he really had missed how things were before. Regardless, it was actually nice to know he’s around again.

Keith sat down awkwardly in the chair next to Shiro, feeling too uncomfortable and out of place to actually say anything to either of them. Shiro was having none of it.

“Keith, we know this is hard on you, too. You don’t have to sulk,” he said, putting his hand on Keith’s shoulder kindly.

“Yeah, we’re here for you,” Adam added, shooting him a sincere smile.

“Thanks,” was all Keith could say and he cursed himself for feeling so out of place around them. These people were his family, the men who _raised_ him since he was a tween. Or at least his versions of them were. Regardless, he should be able to actually talk to them.

“So, do you have anything you want explained? Pidge said she gave you the run-down, but it’s Pidge so that doesn’t mean she made sure you understood. I know she can be… _rushed_ in her explanations,” Adam asked, moving the conversation away from his awkwardness.

Keith was grateful for the shift in conversation but had no idea where to even start. He let out a quiet huffed, humorless laugh, “Yeah...everything,” he muttered. Whatever this world was, was so...overwhelming.

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that,” Shiro said, sounding amused. Keith gave a slight huff in response, scanning the rest of the room. Lance, Pidge, Allura, and Coran were all having a very serious looking conversation as Lance bounced Alex on his lap and Allura took out and re-braided Fala’s hair. Romelle had set Samantha in a high-chair in order to help her husband and Mizuki arrange the spread of food. Apparently they now had an organized system for how the food on the table was placed, as everything was clearly set down with a purpose. It was strangely heartwarming to see a little toddler Galran eagerly helping with something as domestic as setting the table.

“So, you guys adopted a Galran?” He asked in a feeble attempt to continue the conversation.

Shiro laughed, “You say that like it's the first time,” he teased.

“Fuck off,” Keith shot back, “besides, I’m only _half_ Galran.”

“True,” he shrugged, “Anyway, yeah, we adopted a Galran,” he said somewhat proudly, looking fondly as his daughter tried to straighten out a dish on the table, which was a bit of a struggle with only one hand and only just being able to reach far enough over the table.

“Funnily enough, it was another ‘Takashi came home from work with a kid and now we’re responsible for them’ situation. I honestly don’t know why I was surprised,” Adam added casually, making Keith snort in amusement.

“You say that like it happens all the time!” Shiro snapped indignantly, “It’s only happened twice, _years_ apart. That isn’t a lot,” he huffed.

“Takashi, sweety, to normal people that is a lot. For normal people, once is a lot,” Adam replied in a mock patronizing tone, giving Shiro a fond and amused look.

“When were we ever normal,” Shiro scoffed, playful smirk tugging at his lips as he shot a sickeningly love-struck look at his husband. Keith was a bit shocked. He hadn’t seen Shiro act this relaxed and playful since before the Kerberos mission and it was so good to see him acting like this again. Hearing him and Adam going back and forth like this honestly felt like returning to a home you hadn’t realized you missed.

“You were telling me how you adopted your daughter,” Keith reminded. He might have missed this family dynamic he took for granted when he first had it, but he could only handle so much fluff and he genuinely wanted to hear the story.

“Right, sorry,” Shiro promptly apologized, looking a little embarrassed. “We rescued her while on a mission. The Blades had intel about a base that was developing organic super weapons and committing horrific experiments to do so. We split into groups of three. Lance, you, and I were supposed to free the prisoners while the others gathered data, but when we got there we found the base empty and all the prisoners dead. Except for Zuki. She was in really bad shape when we found her. She had several infections, was severely malnourished, and her arm had to be amputated at the shoulder. She had to stay on the Castle while she was being treated before we could find someone to take her in and Adam and I got attached. We talked about it and decided to adopt her, though it was a pain in the ass to get her recognized as our daughter back on Earth. People are still a little wary of seeing aliens walking around,” he explained.

“That’s the simplified version anyway,” Adam added.

“What do you mean?” Keith asked as Shiro rolled his eyes.

“Well, the reason Takashi and I got so attached to her was because he volunteered himself as the one to look after her while she was on board getting treatment. He didn’t think about the fact that volunteering to watch an infant would take over his and, by extension, my life. You know, like having to deal with her screaming in the middle of the night for no reason, making sure she got her bottles on time, or just general _parenting_ her. Sure the others helped out, but we were the ones with the monitor in our room,” he elaborated, glancing at Shiro the entire time. “Obviously it all worked out in the end and I wouldn’t trade Zuki for the universe, I just wish Takashi would have at least warned me before showing up to our room with a baby,” he chuckled, the look on his face showing that he held no real resentment about the situation, just mild irritation at worst.

“In my defense it had been a very disturbing mission, I was still a bit freaked out,” Shiro tacked on, his tone light, but his eyes telling Keith that he wasn’t joking.

After that they talked a little bit more about their early days with their daughter; how they chose her name, how everyone back on Earth first reacted to her, how Krolia volunteered to help them with the more alien aspects of her care and needs. It was interesting to hear, but it wasn’t long until their conversation was interrupted.

“Food’s ready!” Hunk announced, taking off his apron and sitting down at the table. Everyone immediately began making their way over to the table to begin eating. Keith hadn’t felt the need to move as he was already at the table, however, apparently his choice of seat had caused a mild disturbance in everyone else’s routine as they looked a bit confused trying to shuffle around so that everyone could be seated comfortably. He felt the guilt he experienced earlier well back up in his chest.

Thankfully, however, the shuffling quickly settled and everyone was seated and already beginning to load their plates with the feast Hunk had prepared. Unfortunately, Lance and Alex were seated directly across from Keith. Which Alex noticed.

“Dada!” the little boy yelled excitedly, as the whole room stilled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in all honesty I'm not so happy with the second half of this chapter, as I had trouble with Shiro and Adam's characterization and dynamic. The upcoming chapters should hopefully be easier to write as I get more used to writing them together, but may be shorter so I can (theoretically) get them out faster. The plot will thicken very soon, so stay tuned!


	3. On the other side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adult Keith wakes up back in his old room, everybody has questions, and certain revelations are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place from the other Keith's pov. I will still primarily focus on the younger Keith, but I had a request to add in what was happening on this side of things, and I was already debating doing so, so here we are! I'm not going to tell you that there will be a planned pattern because there won't be, but hopefully there will be a good mix. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Keith woke up to a cold, hard bed in a small, dark room. The only saving grace is that the awful flu-like feeling he had the whole previous day was gone. He looked around in confusion, trying to get his bearings. He very distinctly remembered going to bed in his own room last night as he had actually gone to bed the same time as Lance for once instead of sneaking into bed hours later, making waking up in a different room all the more alarming.

He felt adrenaline begin to surge through him as he got up out of bed trying to figure out where he was, thoughts of his family being in danger racing through his mind. If he was able to be ripped out of his room and thrown somewhere else, who’s to say they couldn’t do the same to Lance, the rest of their team, or, god forbid, Alex. Oh god, how long had he been out? Minutes? Hours? Days?! Surely Lance would have been able to take care of Alex alone if he had to… assuming Lance isn’t in the same position he is. What if Alex had been taken too?! What if Alex had been left alone?! ‘Calm down, breathe, patience yields focus’. He had to figure out where he was, how he got there, and how to get back.

Keith scanned the room more critically than he had when he first woke up in a panic. The small room was bare save for a small stack of papers, a sketchbook, and a couple pencils on a small desk and his old red crop jacket which was hanging on a wall hook. Now that he thought about it, it looked exactly like how his old room looked when they had first moved into the second Castle of Lions. He was in his old room…which ultimately just raised more questions than it answered. He also noticed that he wasn’t in his usual pajamas, but in his old street clothes which he used to wear to bed when he was younger, though, much to his relief, his wedding ring remained securely on his hand.

What the hell was going on? Was this some super realistic fever dream? A product of time itself collapsing like it did in the Quantum Abyss? A fucked up surprise test that Coran decided to spring in them? Actual time travel? Was time travel actually possible? This seemed too real and linear to be a fever dream, he was pretty sure they’d know if they were going near anything powerful enough to mimic the effects of the Quantum Abyss, and he didn’t think they had the technology to make illusions this advanced without arousing his or the other Paladins’ suspicion. But if time travel was really a thing you’d think it would have come up in the nine years he’d been in space.

Keith sighed. Regardless of what the truth was, he had to figure out how to get back as soon as possible. He decided the best way to go about that would be to find another one of his team mates, preferably an Altean or either Pidge or Hunk, as they would probably be the most knowledgeable about his situation. He was already dressed, though the shirt was a bit tighter than he remembered, so he decided to make his way to Pidge and Hunk’s lab after quickly tying up his hair into a low ponytail.

The walk to the Green Lion’s hangar which doubles as the ‘team Punk’ lab was quick and uneventful. He could only hear Pidge’s voice, though that pretty much confirmed that she was not alone, as she was silent when concentrated and alone. Keith walked in, hoping that the other person was Hunk.

Hunk was there, unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one in the lab with Pidge. Lance was also there sprawled out on one of the spare chairs, listening passively to the techno jargon Pidge was spouting off at breakneck speed and fiddling with what looked like a chunk off of one of their projects. All three of them looked years younger, about how they had when they had just gotten the second castle. Shit.

Lance was the first to notice that someone had walked in and had turned around to look. His jaw quite literally dropped when he caught sight of Keith, “What the hell?!” He exclaimed loudly, drawing Hunk and Pidge away from whatever project they were working on to also turn around and stare at him he had two heads.

“Keith?” Asked Hunk disbelievingly, before continuing, “Why are you older...again?” this time his question was tinted with caution and fear, the whole Kuron incident probably still fresh on their minds if Keith had pegged the timeframe right.

“Well…I’m pretty sure at this point that I’m from the future,” he stated bluntly, hoping they wouldn’t think he was too crazy.

“What do you mean you’re ‘pretty sure’ your from the future?! How do you not know that?” Lance exclaimed incredulously. Keith could understand where he was coming from, but was still a bit annoyed by the younger version of his husband’s overreaction.

“It means I’m not sure what’s going on, but I woke up in my old bedroom, in my old clothes, and all of you look about seven years younger than you should be, and time travel is the best lead I have for explaining why,” Keith explained, exasperated.

“How could that even be possible?” Pidge looked up brows furrowed and face frowning slightly.

“I don’t know,” he sighed.

“Woah, woah, woah. Wait a minute,” Lance suddenly and urgently interjected as if a thought had just occurred to him, gesturing wildly, “Where is our Keith. You said you woke up in his room right? Nobody’s seen him since yesterday, and he wasn’t in his room, so where is he?”

“That’s actually a really good question,” Pidge agreed slowly, brows furrowing further and frown deepening.

“Yeah! Do you know what happened to our version of you?” Hunk added, urgently agreeing and feverishly nodding his head.

Keith hadn’t thought about where the younger version of him might be… shit. “I have no idea. I don’t even know how I got here, or even where here is yet. Not for certain, at least. Sorry,” he admitted, he felt like he should be more concerned, but every minute he was stuck here, uncertain of what was happening to his son, husband, and space family weighed heavier and heavier on his mind.

“We need Coran for this,” Pidge sighed, “He’s the most likely to know what the Quiznack this is.”

Hunk nodded, “I’ll go get him, in the meantime, check all of the systems and readings, see if anything strange has come up between...yesterday Keith came to breakfast complaining about feeling weird, so like, midnight a day ago and now?”

“On it,” Pidge chimed back, already typing furiously away on her laptop.

With that Hunk swiftly got up and left the room, clearly relieved to not be in the middle of the awkward situation of dealing with Keith. However, much to Keith’s surprise, Lance didn’t get up to follow his best friend out of the room.

Instead he stayed in his chair, staring at Keith with an unreadable expression, which unsettled Keith, not because of the staring, but because over the years he had gotten very good at reading his husband. “Sooo,” Lance drawled, “you’re from the future?”

“I’m not certain, but that’s the best explanation I can come up with,” Keith replied, feeling defensive, recognizing the tone Lance used when he was about to say or do something he knew others wouldn’t necessarily approve of.

“But if you are,” Lance urged, “then you’d know about our futures.” Oh. Of course that’s what he wanted.

“Yeah,” Keith agreed flatly, crossing his arms, neither wanting to ignore him or play too much into his shit.

“Wait...how much into the future are you?” Lance asked, suddenly realizing that that would have a pretty big effect on the information Keith _could_ supply, not that Keith _would_.

“Probably about eight, maybe closer to seven? I’m not exactly sure,” He answered honestly.

“Woah, so you’re older than Shiro,” Lance looked amazed at this revelation.

“You say that like being in your twenties is old!” Keith snapped, mildly offended by Lance’s tone.

“Whatever,” Lance dismissed, “So, what can you tell me about the future?”

“Nothing,” Keith stated.

“Oh come on, mullet! Please? Aren’t we friends?” Lance whined childishly and pouted. It was actually more charming when his Lance did it, but it still brought about a small chuckle from Keith.

“Firstly, I don’t even have a mullet anymore. And seco-”

“Wait, WHAT!?!” Lance squawked, causing Pidge to turn around and yell at him to shut up.

Keith reached up to pull his hair down from the ponytail, letting the tie settle on his wrist. “I let it grow out about two years ago,” he said with a slight smirk at Lance’s expression.

Keith heard Lance mutter under his breath in Spanish about how pretty Keith’s hair looked and debated whether or not to reveal that he understood the compliment. His face would have been priceless, but he didn’t know if that would be too big of a reveal. To him, his knowledge of the language was a big deal. Shiro had been trying to teach him Japanese since he was twelve, and he always refused, but he learned Spanish so he could talk to the love of his life in his own native language. To Keith the fact that he can speak Spanish, and Cuban Spanish specifically, was a sign of the intimacy and love he shared with his husband. Something he could not let this Lance know about, especially if this really was simply the past. He couldn’t risk changing the future in anyway, let alone in a way that could jeopardize his and Lance’s relationship. Oh god, what if he fucked up and Alex never gets born?

“What?” Lance asked cautiously. Shit, apparently he had zoned out during that internal debate, and was probably staring at Lance. Awkward.

“Nothing,” Keith replied quickly, “Just zoned out.”

“What were you thinking about,” Lance pressed.

“My family,” Keith answered without thinking, still way too comfortable around Lance, even when it’s a younger version of him.

“Your family?” Lance asked eagerly, “So that _is_ a wedding ring! Who’s the ‘lucky’ lady? Do you have kids? You said family so I assume you mean more than just a wife, but I’ll be honest I never pegged you for a family man. Surely you can tell me general information about _your own_ future! I won’t ask for details or anything, just like, names, maybe how many kids… also is your wife human or alien? What does she look like? Why the hell did she marry you?” Lance rambled off at a mile a minute.

“Dude, calm down, for all you know I could have meant the team. The team is the realist family I’ve ever had,” Keith tried to back track.

“But you didn’t, so come on! It’s not like I’d know who you marry!” Lance was clearly not going to give up easily...not that he ever did, “Oh, shit! Do I know her? Is it Romelle? Nyma? _Axca?_ I doubt it would be Allura or Pidge,” he rambled as Pidge flinched in the background. Keith then cut him off, done with Lance’s uncomfortable questions and speculations.

“Lance, I’m gay. I don’t have a wife, I have a _husband_. I don’t know how you don’t know this, I’ve been openly out since the garrison,” Keith added, cursing at how oblivious Lance had been when he was younger.

“Oh! That still doesn’t dismiss my questions,” Lance barreled on.

“All I can tell you is that I am married and I have a kid, who I would really like to get back to as quickly as possible,” Keith replied with a certain finality that he hoped would get Lance to change the subject.

It worked, _partly_.

“What about me?” Lance questioned, more quiet and cautious than he was when interrogating Keith about his future.

“Also happily married with a kid. I’m not telling you anymore,” Keith relented, knowing there was no point evading his questions.

“Really? No names or gender of my kid or anything? What about age?” Lance whined.

“No. If this is the past I don’t want to say or do anything that could change how things play out. Surprisingly, things turned out pretty good and you’ll thank me later for doing everything in my power not to ruin your future,” Keith argued.

Lance let out a sigh, “Fine. That makes sense I guess, but you can’t blame a guy for being curious,” he finally relented, flopping deeper into his chair.

“True,” Keith agreed, deciding to sit down in Hunk’s vacant chair instead of awkwardly hovering like he had been.

There was a long pause where the only thing that could be heard was Pidge’s furious typing, then Lance broke the silence, “Sooo, you don’t have to answer this, but…the team. Are we still together? Like, whether or not we’re still fighting this war, is the team still close? Do we still see each other often?” Lance’s voice was soft as he focused on his fiddling hands.

“Of course. We’re family. That’s not gonna change. I’m surprised you had to ask,” Keith replied with a smile and slight chuckle. Lance looked up at him with that same damned soft smile that made him fall for the idiot in the first place. It made him nostalgic for the early days of their relationship and miss his husband terribly. How long was he going to be stuck here?

“Thanks, Keith,” Lance added after another brief pause.

That was when Hunk returned with Coran. “Well, this Keith certainly is older, eh?” The Ginger announced upon getting a glance at Keith. “We’ll have to make a stop on Olkarion to make sure, but this certainly seems like a time swap to me,” the ginger added, stroking his signature moustache.

“Time swap?” Pidge asked for clarification.

“Yes number five, a time swap. A _mostly_ harmless phenomenon in which a person gets swapped around on their own timeline for a short while. They fix themselves within a week or two about 2/6 of the time and the people on the earlier side of the timeline, ourselves and our Keith who is currently taking this Keith’s place, will forget everything that happened during those two weeks. As long as no physical damage is done and nothing too important happens during those couple of weeks, everything should return back to normal for us,” Coran explained.

“What about me? My family?” Keith questioned, worried by his emphasis on ‘us’.

“Well, you will remember everything that happened, as will everyone back in your own time. Hopefully that won’t cause that many problems,” he added nonchalantly.

Keith was about to tell him off for being so casual about things going wrong for Keith and his family when they were literal just the older versions of themselves, when Pidge cut him off with a disturbing point. “More importantly, what do you mean by this sort of thing fixing itself only 2/6 of the time? What about the other 66.67% of the time? You know the statistically more likely outcome” Pidge seemed nearly as irritated as Keith was that Coran was not treating this as seriously as it seemed he should have.

“Well, if things don’t fix themselves, we’ll have to fix it ourselves...and we’ll be on a bit of a time crunch, but we’ll come to that if it happens!” the ginger replied with a clearly forced cheerfulness. He was obviously hiding something and it made Keith’s stomach drop.

“No, Coran. We need to know what could go wrong so we can ensure it doesn’t. Tell us.” Keith stated firmly, hoping that by using his ‘leader’ voice Coran would actual listen. It worked, but everyone else in the room started at Keith for a second before Coran actually started to speak.

“Well… If a person is caught in the wrong point in their timeline for too long time begins to correct itself. 2/6 of the time this results in everything going back to normal… the rest of the time, it begins to rewrite itself. Usually by erasing the displaced person entirely,” Coran explained cautiously.

Keith felt sick, horribly, viciously sick. “So it would be like I never existed,” He muttered quietly, already knowing the answer.

“I’m afraid so,” Coran replied solemnly. The room was still and silent for a long while. Tension hung heavy in the air as Keith’s mind raced. If he never got back, not only would he die, he would cease to have ever existed! Which meant that _Alex would too!_ And Lance would be none the wiser because he would have never met Keith in the first place! At least Lance and the others wouldn’t suffer from his demise, since they wouldn’t remember him or Alex. Keith could feel the electric buzz of panic beginning to seep into his bones and tighten around his throat.

“What can we do to send him back ourselves? You know, since the entirety of the universe is at stake and everything,” Lance broke the silence.

“Lance, now is not the time for sarcasm,” Coran, of all people, scolded.

“I wasn’t being sarcastic!” Lance protested, “You guys realize that no Keith means no Voltron, right? And I don’t even mean because he’s a Paladin. I mean that none of us would have ever known about Voltron if it wasn’t for him. He was kinda important for finding the Blue Lion, and for saving Shiro,” Lance finished looking at the other people in the room like they were all idiots for not realizing this.

Keith really loved knowing that Lance was the one to point that out, clearly caring enough to notice and appreciate about a year before they actually started dating, assuming he was right about when he was.

“Well, that’s a bit more complicated, and we’ll need the help of the Olkari with that too. I’ll go tell the Princess to head there now, though I’m not sure how soon we’ll be able to see anyone about our little problem. What with Olkarion being the hub of the entire resistance and all,” Coran said already leaving the room, gathering up his usual cheeriness, even if this time it was a bit more stained, the undertone of worry cutting through like a knife.

“Well this isn’t stressful at all,” Hunk muttered sarcastically under his breath. Keith couldn’t agree more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update as of Aug. 26, 2018! Just so you guys are aware, the next chapter is almost done! I have not abandoned this story, I’ve just started my senior year in High School, so I’m a bit busy. The next chapter is a bit angsty, or more specifically, langsty, but after that there should be some good fluff to balance it out. Just hang in there with me guys, and I truly appreciate all your support! Hopefully check back in soon with a new chapter!  
> _________________________________  
> Thank you all so much for you're continued support! If you have any questions or comments about this fic that you want a faster or more direct response to, feel free to ask it on Tumblr, I'd love to hear from you guys!  
> My Main blog: https://confusedspacekid.tumblr.com/  
> My really new, really bare Writing Blog: https://confusedspaceauthor.tumblr.com/


	4. I apologize in advance for the Angst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This whole situation is a shit-storm for Lance and Keith both. Lance panics and Keith is just struggling to process it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah... this came out way more angsty and admittedly more OOC than I originally intended. BUT, on the bright side this should be the end of that and things should settle! I swear this will get fluffy, I promise!

“Dada!” The little boy yelled excitedly, nearly throwing himself over the table to get to Keith. Everyone in the room, with the exception of the toddlers who were to engrossed in either eating or staring down a parent to make them a plate, froze and stared at the end of the table. Lance turned Alex around in hopes that by breaking eye contact with Keith and offering food that he would forget and calm down. This plan failed entirely.

“Dada! Dada!” He protested loudly, twisting around in an attempt to see Keith again, completely ignoring Lance’s offer of some sort of homemade baby food.

Keith had no idea what to do or how to react. He just sat there feeling guilty for messing with these people’s lives, for messing with this poor baby’s head, and Lance’s stress levels. He just sat there awkwardly and stewed in his own guilt and he hated it. He hated not knowing what to do, not really having anywhere to go. It drove him insane and made him feel even worse.

Alex beginning to cry didn’t help either. Lance had been continuing to distract his son from Keith, while he was stuck in his own pool of guilt and self-pity, and all it was doing was making Alex more upset. He wasn’t fully crying yet, but he was getting close and his pitiful whines and shouts punched Keith directly through the heart, especially since he knew it was him Alex was crying out for.

“Is there anything I can do to help? Do you want me to leave?” Keith blurted out before he even realized he was doing it.

“What? Yes? No? I don’t know!” Lance also blurted, clearly caught off guard by Keith’s sudden offer, “Look, if you leave, and he sees you do it, he’ll only get more upset,”Lance paused looking down at the fussy, squirming baby in his arms with a distressed, nearly panicked expression. He paused before continuing in a defeated tone, “But if you just sit there he’ll think you’re ignoring him and that will just send him into a panic, too.”

“I could hold him…” Keith muttered quietly and immediately cursed himself. In all honesty, as much as he didn’t want to listen to a child, especially an alternate version of his child, cry because of him, he was terrified of the prospect of actually coming into contact with the tiny, screaming person. He had no experience with babies and wasn’t even sure he’d know how to hold him properly. What if he hurt him? What was he even supposed to _do_ with a baby? Honestly, the only thing Keith knew about babies was that they were cute and completely helpless! Thank god that this version of him had decided to have a kid with Lance, because at least Lance has years of experience under his belt from being the uncle of at least four kids (counting both earth and space families) before having Alex. Why the hell did he even open his mouth? Either Lance is going to accept and he’s gonna hurt the kid, or Lance is going to reject the offer and hate him even more!

Lance looked Keith over carefully before glancing down at his even more distressed than before son, clearly weighing his options. Slowly, Lance looked back up at Keith who was trying to casually absorb into his seat without anyone noticing. He could feel the whole rooms eyes on him and he didn’t think he’s ever felt more trapped in his life, and that includes every time he's been literally trapped by the Galra.

“Sit up,” Lance suddenly spoke, his face set and voice determined. Keith obeyed quickly as Lance swiftly approached, Alex starting to actually cry. Out of the corner of his eye, Keith could see Romelle checking over her own baby worriedly then promptly offering her daughter a meal as distraction from the loud cries of her cousin.

“Have you ever held a baby before?” Lance asked when he reached Keith less than a moment later. Keith shook his head, somewhat sheepishly, wilting under this Lance’s distrustful, wary gaze and Alex’s piercing cries. “He squirms a lot and he’s stronger than he looks so make sure you have a good grip on him and don’t let him slip under your arms,” Lance ordered. Keith nodded obediently, if somewhat awkwardly. He wasn’t use to Lance being so genuinely untrusting of him, or so… authoritative? Mature? Maybe just adult? Whatever it was, it was uncomfortable as all hell.

What was more uncomfortable was having a squirming, screaming one year old placed into his lap. Even more than that was having Lance physically adjust his grip on the baby so he actually had a good enough grip. He’d admit, Alex was stronger than he looked, and Keith could see why he needed a good hold. Lance slowly stepped back and sat back down at his seat across from Keith, but not before throwing a meaningful glance at Shiro that Keith interpreted as ‘don’t let this dumbass hurt my kid’.

Keith stared dumbfounded at the screaming baby. He hadn’t stopped crying yet, and he was still calling out for his dada, eyes screwed shut, face red. Keith had no idea what to do. He was the closest thing to this kid’s actual dad around, but he still wasn’t. Not really. He desperately wished he knew what this place actually was so he could know just how wrong it was of him to fill in for this whatever’s version of him. He subconsciously pulled the struggling baby tighter against his chest as he inwardly freaked out.

“Aren’t you going to actually comfort him?” Lance snipped, glaring at Keith.

“I-I want to, but I don’t know what to do,” Keith admitted. He was completely out of his element, and felt like a jackass because of it. Why couldn’t he have woken up in a prison cell or a torture chamber. It would have been less painful and he would have actually known what to do!

“If you don’t know what to do, then why did you even offer to help?” Lance asked, voice raised slightly and tone deadly.

“Lance,” warned Pidge from her seat at the other end of the table opposite of Hunk, “He’s doing his best, cut him some slack. I know this is hard for you, but it isn’t his fault.” This version of Pidge was such a fucking god send as far as Keith was concerned. Lance might have had an opposing opinion, but he kept quiet and sat down to intently watch his child in Keith’s arms.

Alex was finally beginning to calm down, tears still trickled from his eyes, but he now was actually paying attention to who he had been handed off to. “Dada” The little boy muttered, still teary eyed as he raised a minuscule hand to Keith’s face. “Dada!” He repeated, louder this time, smile breaking through the tear tracks. Keith couldn’t help but smile back, though his heart broke at the same time. Alex may have his thick, messy black hair and his violet eyes, but he wasn’t Keith’s kid. Lance was right, he was an impostor, an intruder into these people’s lives, and now this Lance’s son was calling him Dada. He felt like human garbage.

“I’m sorry,” Keith muttered, barely above a whisper, tears threatening to spill down his own cheeks. “I’m not… I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m sorry,” hot tears started to race down his face despite his best efforts to stop them.

“You’re right, you shouldn’t, but if I try to pick him up now, we’ll be right back where we started,” Lance said coldly.

“Lance! Seriously, knock it off. I already told you that he is just as confused and distressed as you are. This is a shi- _crappy_ situation for everyone, but we don’t need you two fighting for the next week or two!” Pidge scolded. As grateful as Keith was for her sticking up for him, he was under the impression she knew more than she was saying.

Apparently Lance felt the same, “A week or two? Where did you get that timeframe” he questioned, suspicion cutting through his tone like a razor.

“Coran, can we please just tell everyone else what’s going on already?” Pidge asked in frustration, looking exasperated at the mustached advisor.

“I suppose keeping it a secret isn’t quite playing out as the worry-free scenario I thought it would. So yes, I suppose transparency would be the best option,” He relented with a sigh.

“So you know what’s going on and you didn’t think to tell anyone?” Keith spat.

“How could you not tell me what the hell happened to my husband!” Lance growled.

“I didn’t want you to worry about this, so I may have talked Pidge into silence,” Coran explained sheepishly.

“So what is going on?” Keith asked, raising his voice more than he should have and raising a noise of protest from Alex, who then nuzzled into Keith’s chest, hands around his head.

“A time swap,” Coran explained uncharacteristically simply. Allura’s eyes widened, then cast a concerned glance in his direction. Not good.

“Which is?” Lance prompted.

“A primarily harmless temporal phenomenon in which a person switches places with themself on their timeline. Usually lasts one to two weeks,” Coran explained.

“Primarily harmless? What about when it isn’t harmless?” Hunk questioned, the entire table now turning their attention to Coran.

“Well… occasionally the displaced person is erased from time itself,” Coran rushed before slowing down and continuing, “but lucky for us, usually when that is the outcome, the future half of the timeline begins to forget about that person immediately, before time actually rewrites itself to compensate for the missing person. However, we all remember Keith just fine! So it’s very likely that one way or another everything will be fine!” The ginger finished cheerfully.

“Ok, so, our Keith is in the past, and we have the past Keith here. Won’t that change everything? I mean now past Keith knows he gets married to Lance and has a kid with him! Won’t that cause problems? Also why don’t we remember meeting our Keith when we were our past selves?” Hunk asked anxiously, “I, for one, am actually really happy with my life right now, and I don’t want some time altering phenomenon stopping… now from happening,” he continued, glancing worriedly over at his wife and now sleeping daughter.

“Thankfully time is a stubborn mistress, as long as everyone gets returned to their rightful times, everyone in the past will forget this ever happened,” Coran offered, stroking his trademark mustache.

Keith’s head spun from all of this new information. He couldn’t process it, not until Lance put it into painfully, terrifyingly simple words.

“So… that is my Keith? He’s really just from the past? And him being here could potentially erase him and by extension our son _out of existence_?!” Lance was about to start panicking for the third time that day, but Keith could hardly blame him, he felt like he might lose it too, but probably for the opposite reason.

This wasn’t some parallel whatever, this was _his future_. He wasn’t taking over anyone’s life, he was just experiencing parts of _his_ life too early. Alex shifted in his arms and Keith thought he might actually start having a breakdown. Alex _was his son_. Really and truly, this baby in his arms _was his_. His and _Lance’s_. He and Lance, his Lance, were one day going to get married and have a family together. Not only that, but they would still be surrounded by their found family as well. Living alongside their friends and nieces. Hell, Adam and Shiro are back together, and according to Pidge his mom is still around too.

In the future he has a big, happy family. A home. A place he truly belongs. This world he thought was too good to be true was exactly what he had to look forward too. He was too happy and shocked to even process the part about the possibility of being wiped from time itself.

Lance however, was not. He was practically hyperventilating, pleading with Coran and Pidge to fix this whole mess immediately and nearly sobbing at the idea of risking not just the lives, but the very existence of his husband and child. Everybody else felt horribly for Lance, and for Keith. None of them were very keen on the idea of losing Keith or Alex.

“Lance, I know this is horrifying, but you heard Coran. We remember him, our him, he’ll be fine. Alex will be fine. We just have to sit out these next couple of weeks,” Shiro tried to reason as Adam had a conversation with a distressed looking Mizuki in sign language. Keith was pulled from his happy, stunned stupor, though he was having problems actually processing what everyone was saying.

“Shiro, he said ‘very likely’! ‘Very likely’ is far from a guarantee of my family’s safety, especially coming from Coran! The man is about as good with statistics and probability as I am at tech,” Lance argued, before dropping his voice and letting out the broken whisper, “I-I can’t lose them. I can’t lose my husband and child, and then not even have their memories! How can I be ok knowing that that may happen? That I may lose the two people I love most and not even remember them myself?”

“Look, Lance, I get it. Remember that Keith is my little brother, I want him safe just as much as you do. And if it were Adam and Zuki on the line, I would be right where you are. But there isn’t anything we can do, at least not right now. It’s not going to do anyone, especially yourself, any good to panic,” the white haired man tried to soothe.

Lance took several steadying breaths before turning to Coran and asking in a shaky, yet calmer voice, “Is there anything we can do to help ensure their safety? _Anything_ at all?”

“Well, at this exact moment...no. But, we’re already on course to Olkarion, and there they can get a better understanding of what precisely is going on and the best course of action to take in the prevention of unfortunate side effects. We should be arriving there tomorrow, so just hang on for the rest of the day, alright,” Coran replied.

“I’ll try,” Lance muttered, sitting back down. The table then settled into a tense, uncomfortable silence. Even Alex was quiet as he was fed by Lance from Keith’s lap, which was awkward, but Alex got fussy when Lance tried to take him back and Lance insisted on being the one to feed him. Everyone kept throwing concerned looks to the pair of them as they finished their lunch. Despite how awkward the silence was, it finally allowed Keith to fully process the situation. He was in the future, but because of that, there was a chance he might cease to exist, to have ever existed. He’d be lying if he said that that didn’t scare him, but he was never very religious and he had willingly faced death before. Granted, the idea of his loved ones not remembering him did make the prospect of death a bit more daunting, but it still wasn’t his main concern.

Alex squirmed in his hold as he leaned forward to get another spoonful of baby mush from his Papi, Lance looking at his son with a soft tear-tracked smile and eyes that shone with a swirl of worry, fear, love, and a hundred different emotions Keith couldn’t even begin to place. That was his real concern. How would his erasure affect his friends? Their lives? Lance wouldn’t have Alex, a fact that made Keith’s stomach churn violently. Nobody likes knowing that their life being at risk means a baby’s… _your baby’s_ , is as well.

No wonder Lance freaked out, Keith had nothing more than the incredibly hectic morning he spent here and his giant crush on his Lance to go off of, but he knew that if he were in Lance’s place things would have been a lot uglier. He just hoped Coran was right for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: So, I have changed a few things because I know about as much about child development as I do rocket science, and someone under the name sheepeyes pointed out that his development was...off, so thank you to Sheepeyes for the tip!  
> —————————————————————  
> Guess who isn't dead! Sorry for the long gap in updates, sadly they won't be getting much better. I just started my Senior year in high school and it's kicking my ass. Hopefully things will get better and I can continue to update fairly regularly but I can't make promises right now. School comes first.


	5. Chapter 5 part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I realized I had gone WAY too long between updating this story, so to prove that this story is not abandoned, here's what I have for Chapter 5 so far. It'll be updated with the complete chapter soon.

Even after Coran left to inform Allura and Shiro of his current situation and their need to stop by Olkarion, the atmosphere in the lab was extremely tense. Keith wished desperately he could escape it, but he had no idea where he could go. He could only sit there and worry about his son. His child he may never get to see again. His _baby_ who may _die_. He had to get back. He had too. He had to protect his family and there was no way to do it from here. He could feel the panic tightening itself around his chest and throat. _Breathe. Patience yields focus._ _You’ll get back. Alex will be fine._ Not helping.

“Keith...buddy, we won’t let anything happen. I swear.” Lance comforted, though a bit hesitantly.

“Yeah. You’ll be fine. We’re already on our way to Olkarion, and the Olkari will be able to send you back no problem. It’ll be ok,” Pidge added, concern bordering on panic painting her tone.

“Do you want me to make you something to calm your nerves in the meantime? Or maybe just a hug?” Hunk asked, clearly panicking.

Keith looked up at the young versions of his friends, confused by their level of panic. None of them knew about Alex so what did they care? Then something hot and wet raced down his cheek.

Oh. He had been crying. That’s why they were so concerned. “I’m fine. Really. I’m just worried,” Keith attempted to shrug off their concern, but they persisted.

“Keith, you don’t have to be ok,” Hunk soothed.

“Yeah, I mean, who even knows how many times Lance and Hunk have cried in front of everyone. Nobody's going to judge you. We’ve all been there,” Pidge added.

Keith wanted to run away. He knew they were right, and had they been his friends from his own time, he would have broken down and accepted their help. But it was too risky. Too easy for some important detail he shouldn’t say to slip out. “Really, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Keith. Let us help you. You didn’t even cry like that when we lost Shiro. You’re hurting, we’re your friends, we’re going to worry about you.” Lance said seriously.

That broke him. “Fine. I’m worried...no, _terrified_ for Alex. I’m so scared that I may never get to see him again, that he may _die_ because of me. I can’t handle that. I just want to go home and see him. This has already been the longest I’ve been without seeing or hearing about him since he was born. I just want to know he’s safe. That he’ll stay safe. That I can see him again,” Keith finished shakily, crying once again.

“Is Alex your kid?” Hunk asked. Keith nodded slowly.

“Yeah, he’s my son. Only a little over a year old…” he trailed off, raking a hand through his hair, “I don’t know how much I should tell you…”

“Coran said that we’ll forget that you were here, tell us all that you need to,” Lance said comfortingly.

“I don’t know what else there is to say. My baby may cease to exist because I got sucked into the past and there isn’t anything I can do about that right now,” he muttered bitterly, biting back sobs.

“How about a distraction then?” Lance suggested.

“Fine,” he agreed, knowing that sitting and stewing wasn’t going to do anyone any good.

“Why don’t you tell us about our futures? That way you can reminisce about your friends and family and we can get our questions answered,” He suggested with a more sincere version of his shit-eating grin, before switching back to a serious expression and adding, “But I completely understand if you don’t feel up to that,”

What the hell did he have to lose by this anyway? “Sure,” Keith agreed flatly, beginning not to give a shit about anything but the threat to Alex’s safety.

“Do any of the rest of us have kids?” Hunk questioned cautiously before anyone else could respond to his agreement.

“Yeah. Everyone but Pidge is a parent at this point,” he answered just as cautiously.

“Ah, Pidge…” Lance whined in sympathy.

“Dude, I don’t want kids. I’m perfectly content to live out my days with robots and dogs for company,” Pidge replied.

“I will never understand you,” Lance muttered, shaking his head.

“So… can you tell me about my kid?” Hunk asked sheepishly.

Keith thought about it, he agreed to tell them about their futures, but how much was too much? “Her name is Samantha, she’s the youngest of the kids at 10 months old. She takes more after you than her mom, but has her eyes,” that should be safe enough information.

“Wait, who’s her mother?” Lance questioned before Hunk could even react to just hearing about his future daughter.

He really shouldn’t say since he was pretty sure Hunk was still dating Shay at this point… “That I’m not telling,” he stated firmly.

“Why not? He probably hasn’t even met her yet,” Lance huffed. Keith remained silent. “Wait, has he met her? Do we know her? IS IT SHAY??? Oh my god, he marries Shay doesn’t he?!? Holy shit! I can’t believe Hunk is already dat-” Lance rambled on excitedly.

“It’s not Shay,” Keith cuts him off. “Sorry Hunk. You’re still friends though, if that makes it any better…” Keith hated having to tell his friend that things don’t work out with his current girlfriend.

“No, it’s fine,” Hunk said, though the disappointment clear in his voice. “Who is her mom then?” He asked quietly.

Keith really shouldn’t say. He really shouldn’t, but Hunk looked like the joy was just sucked out of him and he really wanted his friend to know things will turn out ok for him. He sighed, defeated. “Romelle,” He admits.

“...Romelle. Like the our Romelle? Romelle the cute, innocent, blonde alien girl? Hunk gets with an _Altean_?!” Lance squawked.

“Romelle and I have a daughter together in the future” Hunk asks in disbelief.

Lance’s signature shit-eating grin plastered itself to his face, “Do I also end up with an Altean?” he asked in an attempt of a smooth tone that did nothing to hide the eagerness in his voice.

“ _No._ No, you and Allura do not end up together,” He replies, perhaps a little more forcefully than necessary, “You do date for a bit, but you decide you work better as friends. You both seem happier with your husbands anyway.” He couldn’t help but notice that all three of his teammates were staring at him, Pidge in confusion, Hunk in surprise, and Lance in what almost looked like embarrassment.

“Wait. Did you just say that Lance has a _husband??_ ” Pidge asked eagerly.

“Yeah” Keith replied slightly confused as Lance shrugged awkwardly.

“Lance is bi?” Pidge asked in shock.

“I guess this is one way to come out of the closet. I knew I might be outed by always thought it would be by one of my siblings, not Keith from the future,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as a blush started to spread across his face.

Shit.

Lance wasn’t out yet. He had just outed him. Fuck. “Lance I’m really sorry, I didn’t realize you weren’t out yet. I honestly didn’t mean to out you.” He apologized as sincerely as he could. Great. Now Lance may hate him and Alex may cease to exist that way, along with his and Lance’s whole relationship. Panic began to grip him again.

“It’s fine. Really. I understand, besides, we’re going to forget everything that happened while you’re here, so it’s not like it matters anyway,” he replied awkwardly, “But, can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah,” Keith answered quickly, still feeling guilty.

Lance’s sincere, awkward expression melted away to a more excited and mischievous one, “Is he hot?”

Keith choked. How in the living fuck was he supposed to answer that?!?

“What’s wrong, samurai? Don’t want to admit that my husband’s hotter than yours?” Lance teased.

 _If only you knew what you just said,_ Keith thought bitterly. “You seem to think so, I disagree, mine’s better.” He said as casually as he could. He honestly wished he could have recorded Lance saying all that to show his Lance once he got back... _if he got back_.

“Yeah right,” Lance laughed, before continuing what was surely going to be a very dangerous interrogation, “Is he an alien or human?” Yep. Definitely dangerous.

He was the only human-hybrid in existence at this point, as far as he knew, which meant he should probably lie, right? But in what direction? He would probably ask how they met, which he should also probably lie about, but he was never a good liar. At least not to friends and family.

“Galran. A Blade...or at least he was,” Keith answered not technically lying.

Lance seemed to consider this before smirking. “What about your husband. Human or alien?”

“Human” he answered easily. That’s should be safe information.

“So mine’s taller and stronger...maybe also hairier but hey, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Lance pondered aloud.

Keith laughed, “Actually, my husband’s taller than yours...I do think yours is buffer though, so I’ll give you that point.” As potential dangerous as this game was, he learned a long time ago it’s usually easier to just play into Lance’s shit than to try and fight him on it. Besides, it was also more fun that way.

“How is your _human_ husband taller than my _galran_ husband?!” Lance squawked indignantly.

“Your husband’s a halfling, we don’t all get the tall genes,” he responded with a smirk.

“At least he’s buffer than yours,” he huffed, making Keith laugh again. “What about my kid? Coran said we’d forget, so you have no excuse this time!” He asked excitedly.

And there it is. The question he really, _foolishly_ hoped Lance wouldn’t ask. How in the hell was he supposed to tell Lance about his kid without revealing that that kid was Alex? Maybe use his middle name? But that wouldn’t make sense because he said that Lance’s husband was Galran, so their kid having a Japanese name wouldn’t make sense. Lance was starting to look at him weird. He had to respond with something.

“His name is Alejandro. He’s 14 months old…” he blurted out before trailing off. He didn’t know what else to say that wouldn’t reveal too much.

“Wait, so our kids are only a few months apart, if that, and their names are Alex and Alejandro?” Lance asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, you’re the one that who picked Alejandro.” He replied with what he hoped was a casual tone. Lance didn’t look convinced, but thankfully Pidge took his quiet to ask a question of her own.


End file.
